


Autumn Leaves

by angryschnauzer



Series: Seasons Of Loki [3]
Category: Avengers, Loki - Fandom
Genre: Angst, F/M, Feels, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2015-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 07:59:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5156192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angryschnauzer/pseuds/angryschnauzer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hayley and Loki are now living together, but after a reality check from Steve, she discovers something that could change her and Loki's relationship for good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Autumn Leaves

Autumn Leaves

You stood in the lab and peered at the results, still unable to focus, your mind being elsewhere yet again.

“You ok?”

Jane’s voice startled you, causing you to drop the paperwork. You watched as the sheets of paper slowly floated down to the floor as you stood staring. Jane got to her knees and gathered the document up before putting it on the table;

“Hayley...” She rested her hand on your arm as you looked up at her; “I’m worried about you... you look pale”

“I’m sorry; I’m just not feeling great. My mind seems elsewhere at the moment”

“Everything ok with you and Loki?”

You nodded, the thoughts of your boyfriend coming to your mind and making you smile. You’d finally moved your stuff from your small apartment and into Loki’s larger one here in Stark Tower where you both resided, you’d practically spent every night in his apartment since you first got together back in the summer after his three month stint in outer space on his top secret mission. You enjoyed being domestic with Loki, and had discovered that he enjoyed the simple things like stacking the dishwasher and vacuuming the rugs; all things that the housekeeping staff would happily do, but as he assimilated to life on earth and accepted that he was no longer a prince, he soon found wonder in modern human technology, and don’t get him started on the internet, your sex life had moved on bounds since he’d discovered porn.

But in recent weeks you had felt light headed, forgetting the simplest of tasks, growing tired easily. You knew deep down you should see a doctor, but you were also putting in long hours in Jane’s lab where she was trying to teach you the intricacies of Astrophysics now that you were her paid intern.

“Hayley?”

“Sorry... yes... Loki is fine, I’m fine. I’m just tired, that’s all”

“Look, we’re getting no-where here, how about we head out and get some fresh air, grab a coffee down the street?”

“Yeah, sounds good”

There was no enthusiasm in your voice, just exhaustion.

Once out in the fresh October air, the busy streets of Manhattan seemed to bring a little spring to your step, the squirrels bouncing along as they chased each other, dashing across the pavement when a passerby dropped a scrap of food. As you waited at the crosswalk a cool wind blew through between the buildings causing orange and yellow leaves to fall from the trees above you, catching in your and Jane’s hair. Pulling them out as you crossed the road, you walked to the large coffee shop that was pretty much full of Stark or Shield employee’s, the cheerful blonde waitress nodding to some empty seats in a sheltered part of the terrace. Taking your seats she soon came over, taking your order. Whilst you were waiting Jane asked how you were again;

“Hayley, I’m worried about you... you haven’t been yourself for the last few weeks, and it’s not just tiredness, this is something more” she paused trying to read your expression; “Have you seen a doctor?”

Your shoulders slumped;

“What for?”

“Because something is wrong!”

“No, I meant, what for? I’ve got no symptoms, what would they diagnose me with?”

At that moment your coffee and cakes arrived, you raising your hand when the waitress asked whose was the cappuccino with the extra shot, Jane holding her hand up for the decaf latte. For a moment you just inhaled the scent of your coffee, the smell warming your soul as you closed your eyes and enjoyed the rich aromas. Finally it was all too much and temptation got the better of you, diving in and pretty much downing half your drink in one go.

“Steady on!” Jane laughed, placing her drink down and passing you a napkin to wipe the foam from your upper lip.

You soon settled into a more relaxed conversation, the caffeine and cake perking you up as you chatted with Jane, finally feeling a little more human. For an October day you were starting to get warm, using the menu to waft cool air on your face;

“God, I wish we could just get to winter, I’m fed up with the warm days!”

Jane’s expression changed as she frowned at you;

“Hayley, are you sure you’re ok?”

“Just hot! Aren’t you warm?” You looked at her and realised that she was wrapped in a big fluffy cardigan and a huge scarf; “Never mind... it’s probably just the double shot in the coffee”

You laughed it off but deep down you were worried, your stomach was churning again like it had been doing for weeks now. You made your excuses about having a migraine starting, leaving a bundle of dollar bills on the table. As you left you didn’t notice the blonde man in the brown leather jacket with his back to you, quietly watching you in the reflection of the window as you made your way back to Stark Tower and up to your apartment

Pushing in the door you were hit by a wall of smoke;

“Oh my god! Loki! What are you doing?”

Your Asgardian boyfriend appeared out of the kitchen area that was where the source of the smoke seemed to be, waving a pair of oven gloves to clear the air;

“Hayley! What are you doing here?”

“Err... I live here?”

He quickly embraced you;

“No, I meant, what are you doing back this early? I thought you were scheduled to work until five?”

You shrugged out of his arms;

“I didn’t feel too well so decided to come back for a lie down”

He pressed his cool hand to your forehead, a worried look on his face;

“You do seem to be quite warm, even for you” his fingers gently lifted your hand and rested on your wrist. He frowned as he waited before finally speaking; “Your blood pressure is very high, its 144 over 92. I should contact a physician...”

“No, Loki, I’m fine, really... I just had a double shot cappuccino and it’s probably just the caffeine that is making my heart pound” he looked like he was going to object but you continued; “I’m just going to have a lie down, could you please bring me a glass of water?”

He nodded and gently kissed your forehead, watching with a worried look on his face as you made your way to the bedroom you shared. Closing the door behind you, you pulled the drapes and shed your work clothes, pulling on an old t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants, climbing onto the bed just as Loki appeared. He climbed onto the big bed and passed you the glass, watching as you slowly emptied it before passing it back;

“Thank you”

He reached out for your hand;

“Get some rest; I’m worried about you...”

“I’m fine...”

Even with the caffeine roaring through your veins you started to feel your eyelids droop, gently falling asleep as you leant against Loki, the smell of baking on the apron he wore comforting you as you nodded off.

_You were standing in a rocky landscape, cold and sterile, darkness all around as a wicked wind pulled at you. He stood over you, his massive jaw and cruel chin forming into a sneer. His eyes glowed, beacons of bright light that burned into your mind. The brutal looking helmet he wore only made him look meaner, the gold detail standing out against his strange purple skin. Finally he spoke;_

_“He will be mine...”_

“HAYLEY”

You felt a strong pair of hands shaking you awake and a familiar face once you opened your eyes;

“Hayley! Wake up!”

You flung your arms around Loki and sobbed into his chest.

“Shhhh... it was just a dream...”

He held you as you cried, finally calming enough to release your grip on him. A voice from the doorway making you realise you weren’t alone;

“Hayley?”

You looked round Loki, noticing Tony and Steve for the first time;

“Oh... umm... Hi...”

“We’ll wait out here Loki” Steve pulled on Tony’s sleeve and pulled the door closed, leaving you alone with Loki.

“My darling, will you please tell me what you dreamt?”

“Why? What can you do about it? It’s just my subconscious picking up on moments during the day and piecing them together in a crude jigsaw in my mind”

He let out a deep breath;

“Here on Midgard you just consider dreams to be part of your mind, however on Asgard we have learnt they can be more than just recollections of memories, they can mean a lot more...”

“Okay”

“You’ll tell me?” he looked hopeful

“Yes, but not now. When we’re alone” You felt like you’d hardly slept, yet as you looked at the clock on the wall it showed you had been down for almost four hours.

“Come on darling, dinner is almost ready...”

Another of Loki’s obsessions he had discovered was cooking. He wasn’t particularly good, but what he lacked in talent he made up with enthusiasm. But you still emerged from the bedroom with some trepidation, pulling on a hoodie as you joined what seemed to be a impromptu dinner party.

You took a seat, sitting between Loki’s empty seat at the head of the table, and where Steve had sat, giving him a weak smile as he cheerfully greeted you. You were intrigued as what this was all about, some dishes already on the table under steamed lids that you knew hadn’t come from your kitchen;

“Umm... what this all about?”

Steve cleared his throat, Tony grinning from the other side of the table as Pepper took her seat next to him;

“Well... Loki, Tony, and I have decided we needed to learn to cook... I for one only know how to boil the living daylights out of anything...”

“And I have never had to step foot into a kitchen in my life thanks to my father’s legacy of maids and housekeepers” Tony cut in.

At this point Loki came out of the kitchen, proudly holding a steaming dish, his hands in the oven mitts as he placed the dish in front of you;

“Ta-Daaaa!” He took his seat and pulled the lid off, the smell that came out of it making your stomach churn; “And I... well... there was never any need for royalty to learn domestic duties before...”

You spent most of the evening picking at your food, managing to eat some of the rather plain dish Steve had brought, attempting to eat the spicy concoction Tony made, but once the smell of the dish Loki made hit your senses you were unable to stomach it, unable to place the flavours but it seemed to be a combination of Fish, Cheese, and some sort of fruit. Apparently it was a delicacy on Asgard, but here on Midgard he’d had to substitute some of the ingredients and the end result had everyone slightly dubious.

Steve, Pepper and Tony all made their way back to their own apartments fairly early – it was a work night after all – and Loki told you to head to bed whilst he cleared up. You stood in the bathroom and stared at your reflection, wondering how the circles under your eyes had grown so dark. You washed your face and stripped, pulling on your favourite nightgown. Frowning back at your reflection you scowled at what you saw; the dark green silk that Loki had chosen himself was now stretched over your hips;

“When did that happen?” you mused to yourself. You’d noticed that your jeans had gotten a little snugger in the recent weeks, but as you stared in the mirror you could have sworn your hips were _wider_ rather than just fat. Dismissing those thoughts you brushed your teeth and took your contraceptive pill before making you way to bed, crawling under the duvet as you listened to Loki potter around in the kitchen.

Your eyes were starting to droop when you heard him enter the room, and never to miss the chance to watch him strip you peered out from under your eyelashes as he shed his clothing and climbed under the covers naked, his body moulding to yours as his arm draped over you, his lips finding yours as he kissed you tenderly;

“Are you feeling any better now?” He rested his fingers on your wrist and you knew he was taking your blood pressure again.

“Slightly, just really tired”

As if to betray you your stomach decided that moment was the right time to start churning, his hand leaving yours and smoothing over the taught silk of your belly, frowning as he did so.

“Loki?” you felt the tears stinging in your eyes, he was noticing the fact your nightgown no longer fitted as it used to, he’d always maintained that he liked you just as you were, but the look in his eyes told you another story. You took his hand and placed it onto the mattress;

 “Please just let me go to sleep”

He looked shocked, surprised at your sudden change in demeanour;

“Hayley, wait a moment, I just thought I sensed something...”

At that moment your stomach churned audibly, actually moving the flesh as it did;

“It’s just gas Loki”

“Hayley, please don’t be mad, I’m just worried that you’re unwell... I know what you’re thinking... and I love you exactly as you are”

The sincerity in his eyes told you he was telling the truth, and as he switched the light out you curled up next to him, your face against his smooth chest as you fell asleep.

_He was back, the dark figure twisting your body with an unseen force_

_“He will be MINE!”_

You shot upright in bed, your screams waking Loki immediately. He held you as you shook with fear, tears streaming down your cheeks. In the pale light of dawn you leant forward and vomited onto the duvet, unable to stop it as happened so quickly. You felt Loki pulling your hair back and gently holding your shoulders as you retched, and when you were finally done you held your head in your hands and sobbed.

“Another nightmare?”

You just nodded.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up”

The next hour passed in a blur, Loki carrying you to the shower and washing you off, helping you to dress before he dressed himself. When he emerged from the bedroom as you sat on the sofa sipping a glass of water you couldn’t help but to admire how much he had changed. He was now in a pair of slim fitting jeans and a wooden coat that came almost to his knees, his hair now much longer than it had been when you met was now pulled back into a messy bun using one of your hair ties. He held you coat out for you;

“Let’s go for a walk in the park, the fresh air will do you good”

As usual he was right, and whilst you walked hand in hand through the early morning scenes in the park, you started to feel a little better. When you came to a bench by the side of the lake Loki tugged on your arm, letting you sit as he settled next to you. He fidgeted nervously, choosing his words carefully;

“Hayley. You need to tell me about your dreams... there is a deeper meaning to them and together we can figure it out”

You took a deep breath and started to explain about your strange dreams, always in the same place that seemed to be not of this world, out in space as if floating on an asteroid, and the horrendous man that always threatened you, his words promising that he would come for ‘him’.

Once you were finished Loki muttered something under his breath that you couldn’t quite catch, his face worried and his body language telling you there was more to his reaction;

“Hayley, I want you to be careful. You need to tell me if you notice anything strange or out of the ordinary”

At that moment Tony flew past in his Ironman suit, closely followed by Sam with his Hawk wings on. They both skirted over the surface of the lake like a couple of giant dragonflies;

“Yeah... strange... that may be hard to distinguish considering where we both work and live”

Loki let out a sigh; “You know what I mean, anything even stranger than our normal lives”

He took your hands in his, even though his skin was still cool to touch; there was a warmth as he gently held you;

“Hayley, there are things in this universe that I have seen that could destroy us, destroy your mind... I just don’t understand why it’s affecting _you_ ”

You had never seen him this worried before, so rather than make light of the situation like you usually would have, you just nodded before leaning over and gently kissing his cheek. You made your way back to Stark Tower, running into Jane as she was on her way out for her morning run;

“Hayley! How are you feeling?”

You clung onto Loki as you stood in the foyer;

“Umm ok I guess, we just went for a walk to get some fresh air, but I still don’t feel right”

“Look, why don’t you take the day off? We’re getting nowhere in the lab and it might do us both good to have some down time”

“Thanks that would be good”

As you rode the elevator up to your apartment you started to feel queasy, your stomach churning even though you hadn’t eaten anything. By the time the doors opened for your floor you were pushing Loki aside and running to the trash can in the hallway, dry retching into it as you became aware of a second person standing next to you. When you had finally finished you stood, swaying on your feet and finding Loki had been joined by Steve, each taking one of your arms to steady you. Your eyes started to roll back in your head and you felt yourself being lifted into Loki’s arms.

~*~

As Loki quickly carried you to your apartment Steve ran ahead, taking the keys from him and opening the door, letting him in and watching as Loki laid you on the couch.

“We should contact a physician”

Steve placed a hand on Loki’s shoulder;

“I have an idea of what is going on. Keep her warm and comfortable and if she wakes give her a glass of water”

“Are you sure?”

He stood to leave;

“Absolutely... I’ll be back in an hour”

As the minutes ticked by Loki never left your side, and it was only when there was a gentle knock at the door almost 45 minutes later did he reluctantly leave you, opening the door to Steve and noticing the small drug store bag he held in his hand;

“Is she awake?”

Loki shook his head as he followed Steve over to where you lay on the sofa, gently placing his hand on your shoulder and very slowly rocking you;

“Hayley... Hayley... it’s time to wake up now...”

You slowly opened your eyes, surprised to see Steve kneeling in front of you before you looked up and saw Loki, his face even paler than usual where he was wracked with worry.

Pushing yourself up to sitting your head swam;

“Steady...” Steve gently pushed you back until you were leaning against the cushions; “Have you eaten anything today?”

You shook your head. He turned and asked Loki to get a glass of water with a spoonful of sugar stirred in, and moments later your boyfriend reappeared, putting the glass to your lips as you drank the sweet liquid down.

“What’s going on?”

Steve perched on the edge of the couch next to you, Loki taking the other side and taking your hand in his;

“Hayley... I think you may be pregnant”

“WHAT?”

You immediately glanced at Loki who looked part shocked and part relieved. Steve cleared his throat;

“Look, I’m not as green as you think I am. When I was touring Europe back in 1943 there were around 20 chorus girls with us. Not all of them stuck to their purity vows, and after a while it because easy to tell when one of them had been a little too amorous with some of the more charming GI’s...”

“But how? She takes the Bovine Hormones to suppress her own reproductive cycle”  

Loki’s way of saying you were on the pill sounding horrendously clinical, but it was also what was going through your mind.

“Look, Loki. I don’t want to start trying to explain inter species reproduction, but I’m just saying... I recognise the signs...”

Steve was starting to look a little flustered as he tried to reason with Loki; all the while they both seemed to have forgotten that you were still sitting between them.

“Loki, I am just saying that your err...umm... your genetic makeup might be able to overpower simple human science. I’m kind of proof of that myself...”

“But what about Thor and Jane? She is not with child?”

“Thor uses condoms”

“How on earth do you know that?” you finally found your voice, watching as Steve turned a beautiful shade of scarlet as his blush rose through his cheeks.

“It would seem I am the only person around here that actually knows where the drug store is. He asked me, ok? He was actually concerned about Jane becoming pregnant before they were married, and wanted to know the most effective way, simply because of the nature of his heritage”

“But I am not Asgardian!” Loki was still sounding annoyed about this whole situation, Steve trying his best to calm him down;

“Yes, I know, but you are also not human...”

You grabbed the packet from Steve, standing up quick enough for your head to swim again;

“Oh just shut up you two, I’ll go do this now!”

You stomped off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind you as you leant against the sink and read the instructions. Fairly simple, pee on one end of the stick, lay it flat and wait five minutes. One line means no baby, two lines mean baby.

They were the longest three minutes of your life, staring at the little pink and white stick as you glanced back and forth between it and your watch, finally seeing the second hand roll around past 12 and seeing the double lines on the indicator. Stepping out of the bathroom you slowly walked towards the doorway, standing in the bedroom as you looked out to the lounge where Loki and Steve still sat.

Loki glanced up and saw you, the tears welling in your eyes as the smile started to appear on your face. He got to his feet, steadying himself on Steve’s shoulder as he started to move towards where you stood.

However your gaze was drawn away from Loki, the room shimmering, and as if a hole had opened within space, there was now the horrendous purple man that had been in your dreams, taking a step towards you.

_“I am here for him!”_

Loki immediately recognised Thanos’ voice, sprinting for the doorway and going to protect you, yet invisible bonds suddenly wrapped themselves around his wrists and ankles, dragging him to the floor as you screamed. You watched as Loki was dragged towards the portal, reaching out for you as he struggled in his bonds;

“No! Hayley!”

You felt Steve’s arms holding you from being sucked into the portal, both watched as it closed around Loki, the last thing you saw were the tears streaming down his cheeks as he screamed your name.

~*~

Stark Tower was on lockdown for the preceding hours and days, soon turning into weeks as you became a zombie within your own body, going about your daily routine as your friends and colleagues tried to console you, Tony and Thor immediately starting a search mission for Loki. Although Steve had been asked to join them, he opted to stay and look after you, his mothers nursing skills become second nature to him.

It was finally upon his insistence that you saw a doctor and started the essential maternity care that was required. Steve had recommended a SHIELD doctor that was used to all the strange genetics that went with working for the organisation, and thought it best considering you may not have an average pregnancy.

When the day came to have your first scan you asked Steve to accompany you, wanting a friendly face there. The sonnograper welcomed you into the room, leaving the pair of you alone whilst you wriggled your leggings down and pulled your top up to expose your stomach. It was only when you glanced down did you finally notice you were starting to grow a bump. A slight gasp from Steve caused you to glance over, and just as you looked to his face you saw his eyes burn deep emerald green;

“Hayley!”

His voice was raspy and not his own, and suddenly you realised;

“Loki?”

“I haven’t got long before they sense my magic being used, but I have been trying to get word to you. I am ok, tell Thor to search Niflheimr!”

You nodded, reaching out for Steve’s hand and grasping it;

“Loki, have you the strength to stay a little while? This is my first visit to the doctor for the baby”

Steve nodded, and you briefly wondered if he was also conscious during Loki channelling through him.

The door clicked open and you both looked towards it, watching as the technician walked in and started to explain what was going to happen. You felt Loki/Steve squeeze your hand a little harder, and you both watched as the gel was squirted onto your stomach before the probe was rested against your skin. Looking up to the screen on the wall you held your breath until the image finally came into view; the distinct shape of a baby wriggling within you, one head, two arms, two legs. The appropriate readings were taken to check the heart and brain functions before the technician turned to you;

“I’m please to tell you he is fine and well. This is your 20 weeks scan, correct?”

“Umm, I think so... it was a bit of a surprise and we weren’t really keeping track of when it happened...” you admitted

“Well he’s doing very well, a good strong healthy heart, and long legs by the look of this”

You glanced over to Steve/Loki and saw tears in his eyes, his lips briefly moving;

“He...”

Turning to the technician you realised what they were saying;

“It’s a boy?!”

“Yes. Oh! Did you not want to know? I’m so sorry!”

“No. I mean yes...” you took a deep breath; “We hadn’t been told, but that’s wonderful, thank you!”

Glancing back to Steve/Loki you saw his eyes flash bright green for the briefest of moments, before they turned back to Steve’s natural colour and you realised that Loki was gone. The tears started to flow down your cheeks as Steve hugged you.

You left the clinic a few minutes later, clutching at the photograph print of your scan, Steve helping you into the taxi as you made your way back to your apartment.

~*~

Loki screamed, the pain shooting through his body as the hot irons burnt his skin. Thanos laughed at his torture;

“Did you not think I would sense such magic happening? When will you realise, you were not the one I was searching for...”

Thanos turned, leaving his minions to continue their tasks, Loki’s voice following him through the darkness;

“YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY SON!”


End file.
